


Tired (She Ra AU)

by MissRemaSan



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:27:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissRemaSan/pseuds/MissRemaSan
Summary: In an unpredicted twist of events, Catra accidentally kills Adora. Then the sword claims her.PRE-SEASON 5, Dedicated to Meira and Sal
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	1. Cats hate water

"Hey, Adora." 

The blonde girl whisked around cautiously, her eyes narrowed. Catra's laugh rang out, a sickening sound that was slightly tinted by pain. If she listened close enough, Adora was sure she could hear her old friend's footsteps, harsh yet quiet against the ground. They seemed to be everywhere. 

She scowled, turning her gaze to the ground. Of course, it was like Catra to attempt a sneak attack, as she probably recognized that the sword and the 8-foot-tall She-ra was no direct match for her. It was her favorite move to have her pinned against the wall, all claustrophobic under a small cage. Sometimes, though, Catra replaced the cage with herself. 

Adora always managed to escape, somehow. Whether it was the persistent Princess Rebellion or an act from the sword, she was never in Catra's clutches for long. Catra...the more she thought about it, the more she found it harder to believe that they were friends. Really close friends, actually. Even as a kid, though, Catra was undeniably snarly and irritable. _Nothing's changed_ , Adora thought bitterly, the rushing waves below her dissolving into white noise. Ah, but there was the undeniable truth that she had grown bloodthirsty and a bit more violent.  
Only a bit, though, since she'd often express herself through hitting and such. Lots of pouncing, sometimes clawing. 

But could Adora really blame her? In the Horde, they were practically advised against love and affection. Commanders, specifically Shadow Weaver, were often pretty harsh and borderline evil. Well, Shadow Weaver was definitely evil, Adora remembered constantly standing up for Catra. It was unfair, maybe if they were raised differently, things would've turned out better.  
Maybe she wouldn't have to fight her. 

Catra watched Adora smugly. With just a few steps, she'd fall into her trap. Everything was laid out so perfectly there was no way she'd fail, she already used so much of her effort to lure Adora in. After all, without their She-Ra, what could the rebellion really do? 

It'd take only a moment. One...two...  
Adora wandered around it. _No way she could detect it_ , Catra thought spitefully. Frustration clouded her mind as she noticed the sword in Adora’s hand, hanging by her side. 

She clenched her teeth, it was taunting her. A glowing, luminescent light surrounded its edges, she had never wanted to break something so bad. “You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your precious princess, would you?” 

“Let her go, Catra,” Adora spat. She held the sword up a bit in her tense arm, the light catching its crystal body. Catra started forward, tiny pebbles digging into her feet, while Adora spun around. 

She lurched towards Catra, who barely dodged it. Catra dug her claws into her hips, forcing her off balance and onto the floor. Adora grunted, kicking her off and watching Catra stumble back before bouncing off again. She scurried ahead, clawing at her face, fury growing inside her. She thrust her leg into Adora’s chest, and in a quick blur, she felt the sword as it slapped her shoulder. 

Memories flooded back. What did Shadow Weaver even see in Adora? What made her so special, so unique? She charged forward, the scenery fading, spinning, as Adora stumbled back off the cliff.

“OH SH-”

A terrible, high-pitched scream echoed out, breaking the sky. Catra grabbed at Adora’s hand only to watch them disappear from her grasp. A loud clunk was heard, then nothing more. Her eyes widened, she swore she saw a red mist bloom in the water before washing away.


	2. One pronged fork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra's awestruck while Glimmer stresses out.

“ADORAAA,” Catra bellowed, falling back. Her chest heaved, bitter tears stinging her eyes as the water angrily splashed below. It seemed to be yelling back words she couldn’t comprehend.

She spun around, she couldn’t bear to look at it for longer. She won, didn’t she? No more She-Ra, no more sword, the war was basically over. What could the princesses even do without her? She already planned the Horde to capture the dumb flowery one to get Adora in her clutches. 

But...did Catra really want her to die?

…

“Where is Adora???” Glimmer paced around her pastel room, glaring at the floor. She pressed her fist against her forehead, sighing. _Calm down, Glimmer_ , she drew in a breath. In, out. In, out. It wasn’t like Adora was the most perfectly punctual planner ever, which quite often irritated Glimmer, but what else would she expect? 

Ugh, but now that she was _Queen_ Glimmer, who’d have to stay cooped up all day in Bright Moon. Although it was stressful out in the battle lines, getting an upfront view of every Horde soldier, and having the team rely on her magic, it was more stressful to sit in her room all day waiting for news of the battle. 

She understood where everyone was coming from, they were her friends. She loved Adora, Bow, and all the princesses, but the tight walls of the castle were suffocating her. Why wouldn’t anyone listen? 

She huffed, glancing out the window. The crystal, her _mother’s_ crystal, shone brightly in the blue sky. The sunlight bounced off it, reflecting a beautiful blue mosaic against her window.  
Her receiver crackled.  
“BOW! Can you hear me? BOW,” she yelled into it. Especially now it seemed that Glimmer and Bow spent less and less time with her. She tapped the glass furiously, “BOW!”

A pause, then, “Hey, Glimmer.”

“Where are you?? Adora hasn’t been responding at all.”

More static. “Uh-I-he-dor-ra…”

“The connection’s bad, what are you saying?” Heat rose to Glimmer’s cheeks. What if something went wrong? They could’ve lost someone, and she wouldn’t be able to help. She wouldn’t even know until they arrived home, and even with that, what if they didn’t? Tears burned in her eyes as the receiver cut off. 

…

After all that planning to trap Adora, Catra realized she never really knew what to do with her once captured. Maybe she’d discover a way to utilize the sword for the Horde’s benefit. As for Adora, she could’ve easily thrown her in a jail cell, which wouldn’t have been too different from their childhood bedrooms. She’d laugh at her, taunt her, but if she kept Adora alive, wouldn’t that still offer the dumb bubbly princesses a chance?

Then she could’ve always resorted to memory wiping. And princess wiping out. 

_It’s not like it matters anyways_ , Catra thought, sitting down by the cliffedge. The sword was gone and so was Adora, no longer an inconvenience nor a problem. 

She expected satisfaction, a glint of happiness at the least. Yet the only thing she could detect was pure emptiness, bleakness, what was there more to do, then? 

A small twinkle caught her eye, instantly growing into a glistening pearl of light. Catra crept back cautiously as the sword glided up from the river and fell in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO BAD OMG PLS I NEED NEW NAME IDEAS


	3. Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra considers using the sword for the Horde while Bow continues the mission. Perfuma waits in her cell, and a mysterious Horde soldier visits her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, first of all, thank you SO, SO much for 419 views!! This is legit my first story on AO3, and I came in with no initial plot or ending. I just wanted to write for practice, friends, and jokes. I appreciate all of you who stick by this story, I finally planned an ending!   
> I want to thank GemR for the advice, I'll definitely think about it. You helped clear up a lot of things I struggled with. <3 Thank you all! I legit thought no one would read this TT I'm so used to Wattpad.

What was she afraid of? 

She watched the sword cautiously, a good distance away from it. From the past battles and incidents, Catra knew it was unpredictable. Maybe if she reacted the wrong way to the twitching, glowing mess of light the sword was beginning to spin into, it’d find some way to impale her. Catra felt the fur on her back stiffen, her tail sticking upward. 

_If I don’t do something, the stupid thing could ruin probably everything...somehow,_ she approached it. _Hey, it could be a great tool for the Horde,_ though something in her head reminded her that the sword was better to be kept a secret, at least for the moment. 

It buzzed brightly, vibrating harshly in her claws. She screamed, her head blaring so much with white noise that she swore it’d explode. Clink! 

Catra kneeled beside it, the power caressing her veins, holding her prisoner. She wasn’t sure if she screamed or just imagined it, her voice locked in her mind.

She was going to die. Immense heat filled her body. She should’ve tossed it back into the river where it belonged, even though it waved around all majestically. She could sense all her energy being stolen from her, as an eerily distorted voice screeched, as if in pain, “The sword has chosen you

“...Adora.”

“I’m NOT Adora!” her voice shattered when it left her throat. 

The chaos finally ceased, a bitter silence following. 

…

The thick metal bars seemed to tighten around Perfuma. She sighed, trying to focus on something else. Stress never helped any situation, especially ones where she remained completely helpless. Though, the musty smell and the stuffy room were massive distractions from her meditation.

Surely, the rebellion would find and save her. No way would she’d be left to rot in a Horde prison cell as some bait Catra needed to lure Adora. They always prevailed in the end, it was unfair to lose hope.

Besides, even if it did come down to the unfavorable, Perfuma definitely desired dying in content and patience for the future than in a frenzy. 

She closed her eyes, visioning assortments of flowers blooming around her. Granted, they smelled like trash and Horde prison, but it was the atmospheric change that mattered. 

A green valley twisted out in front of her, trees surrounding the edges. Light rain sprinkled down from the sweet blue sky, and a few people would walk around the valley. Ooh, maybe they’d be having a picnic, with fresh salad and sandwiches. 

She inhaled through her mouth carefully. 

Music played in the background, a soft tune that she heard before, but couldn’t remember where or when. The voices of others surrounded her, most of them sweet and some in awe. She missed her kingdom. Before the Horde invaded, everything was beautiful and green.

“Uhm, hi?” 

She opened her eyes. Same rusty bars and small room, except a tall, robust visitor was there, watching her curiously. The stranger beamed at Perfuma, a lock of short platinum hair falling over her eyes.

…

Bow waited.   
He was quite used to waiting, actually, for pizza delivery, Glimmer to calm down, and especially, with recent missions, signals. 

_“I’ll give you the signal, then we move.”_

Both Glimmer and Adora favored that phrase quite a lot, it must’ve tasted nice. They were arguing a lot lately, and overall, the squad talked less and less those days. Only cold, awkwardness hovered in the room with the once “best friend squad”, thick like a fog. 

He sighed. Sometimes he wondered how chaotic it’d truly become if he wasn’t there to interrupt their bickering. Sure, often someone would be more correct than the other, but Bow would refrain from saying anything to prevent escalation. 

“Uggghhh,” Mermista loudly groaned beside him. The sea princess appeared more agitated by the second, which was actually pretty normal. She pursed her lips, gazing at her nails in a completely bored manner. “Does it really take that long for SeaHawk to distract and get in?” She whisper-screamed, rolling her eyes. 

Mermista proved to be quite a useful team member, Bow couldn’t deny, but sometimes he pitied SeaHawk. She was pretty demanding and easily annoyed, any slip-up could cause a sarcastic remark accompanied by an eye-roll. However, no one took her attitude personally, and they all knew she cared. Mermista made things more amusing, anyway, SeaHawk droned on and on about their adventures.

Bow grinned slightly, “You know SeaHawk. He takes his time with these things.”

“He didn’t take his time blowing up my ships,” she grumbled, reminding Bow about the captain’s favorite “hobby.” The light, yet rushed, sound of footsteps dragged them away from their conversation. 

SeaHawk. He smiled at Bow for a second before turning to the sea princess, “It’s clear.”

“No freaky psycho cat lady?” 

“Why would I ever let you wander helplessly into her clutches?” he swooned dramatically. Mermista scowled, unamused, while slowly creeping past their barrier. They discovered another entrance into the Horde, through the vents, which were quite crammed and stuffy.

After a quick scan of the area, Mermista beckoned Bow to follow her. She was fond of the archer, he demonstrated great skill of not getting on her nerves. Unlike SeaHawk, who was more fascinated by himself and partially imaginary adventures. 

Though SeaHawk was pretty useful at times. She did feel a bit guilty for using him, but she always couldn’t find the right words or time for gratitude. Talking about her appreciation for him, and some things in general, was a gag-inducing thought meant more for the flowery princess they were saving. But she wasn’t that harsh on him, anyway. 

She peaked over her shoulder, watching his blue coat bounce up a little as he followed them. It was...a little endearing. 

… 

“Hi…” Perfuma started, unsure of how to greet the Horde soldier, her captor, who eagerly smiled at her. What was strange was how the smile seemed to hold little malicious thought or intent, it was far from a smirk. Perfuma strongly believed in the possibility that anyone could have a good heart, and that people changed, but she couldn’t deny it was a bit odd as the silence settled in. 

The soldier caught herself, “Oh!” She cautiously slid a tray full of gray stuff past the bars with...scorpion claws? _Oh dear, they must’ve made life difficult,_ Perfuma considered sadly. “Yeah, sorry! Uh, I’m here with your food, but I made sure to get you the grey kind. Personally, I think they’re better than the brown ones, I swear those are used for punishment!” The scorpion-clawed girl chuckled, though the flower princess could sense disdain in her voice. 

Maybe she looked disgusted, as the girl continued, “It doesn’t taste as bad as it looks. I mean, I’ve had it my whole life, so I don’t know, actually, since I don’t know what you eat and what your standards are.”

“Oh! Well, I’ve never...tried this before,” Perfuma sheepishly stated, the urge to not disappoint her mysterious, but sweet-looking, visitor blossoming in her mind. It was strange, actually, yet supposedly it was due to the fact that the girl was the only Horde soldier who stopped and talked. She picked up the suspicious-looking, bleak grey bar in her delicate fingers, analyzing it. “Usually, at this time, we’d have fresh fruit salad. I consider fruit as a gift the plants give us, and the plants we love the most give the sweetest fruits.” 

She could feel her face warming up, a small smile appearing. “I just think it’s important to love and acknowledge everything you’ve been given. Plant care is very important, it’s more than just watering and fertilizing. Sometimes we hold ceremonies where we talk to them, it’s really exciting for my village people.” A bit of sorrow contorted her voice, “I hope they’re doing well.”

“I’ve never thought of that,” the white-haired girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. Perfuma moreover expected a taunting reaction, so she was a bit taken aback. “Fruit? We never get those around here often. The bars are supposed to have everything we need, compressed into one single helpful item. Or at least that’s what Shadow Weaver said, when she was here.” 

“But fresh fruit is necessary to the diet,” Perfuma felt an overwhelming sense of pity for the girl. She stared solemnly at her plate, “If you had the chance to try it, would you?”

“Oh yeah!” the girl answered in a heartbeat, “I wouldn’t know what to expect, though. But...I could never leave here. You know one of my friends, Catra? I don’t think…” she paused. Perfuma listened, even though she personally had nothing nice to say about Catra. “...I don’t think it’d be fair to leave her here, alone. Hordak can be pretty harsh on her, and she’s a good friend! I know it.” The girl’s eyes twinkled as she announced it, her voice full of hope. “She’s just a little harsh around the edges. Really good character once you get to know her.”

“That’s...great.” What else was there to say? Maybe Catra was misunderstood, but with all the mass-murder and chaos the Horde had wrecked, nevertheless locking her in a cage, Perfuma couldn’t help feeling resentful. She had a right to, actually. 

Seemingly sensing the plant-bender’s doubt, the soldier continued, “You just have to kind of be patient. Be nice to her, and eventually, she’ll…” It seemed as if she was digging herself into her own hole of doubt, “...she’ll open up. My name’s Scorpia, by the way, what’s yours?”


	4. The lion, The witch, and the vents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Inspired by GemR! Thank you so much for your ideas! (I think they'll come in play more later, though).
> 
> Entrapta decides to go through her favorite shortcut in the Horde...the vents.

The vents were cozy. 

Entrapta found them pretty easy to maneuver through, although sometimes tight. Despite the judgy looks she’d get from the Horde soldiers, and how often she managed to scare Catra, she favored the venting system as the most comfortable, convenient place in the fortress. 

Ah, how the Horde base resembled her palace, except less confusing, but she did admit she missed her laboratory-built maze. But all the tools they offered her! It made her “imprisonment” much more enjoyable, especially with all the alone time she received to design and improve their robots. 

From time to time, though, she did miss the tiny cupcakes her chefs made. And tiny food in general. Well, she’d have to lose some to gain some, and “some” being a whole ensemble of tech that needed fixing! Seriously, she already somehow discovered numerous errors in their warfare bots’ designs, the Horde was lucky the machines didn’t give in instantly. 

The purple-haired princess slid down from the vents, a beaming robot following her promptly. She patted the head of the robot, which glowed purple, “Now where was the control room? Hm, maybe I just passed it.” She turned to her assistant, “Do you know, Emily?”

Emily buzzed and beeped for a moment, her language and response, before scurrying away. Entrapta tailed behind her, her mind fixated on a new invention. 

Though she did appreciate the quiet times, it wasn’t like Entrapta hated people. She just found them more difficult to read, or “decode” as she described compared to robots and technology. See, most robots followed a typical foundation of code and text, they obeyed commands, and a lot of them, or the ones she created, had lots of personality. They were easy, simple, but you could never truly know what to expect from a person. 

People were bitter, they were complex. Sometimes they said things they didn’t mean, but they were designed from layers of emotions and other messy things. Even if a robot turned evil, it’d be easy to dismantle the system, but if a person turned evil, well, who could define evil, anyway? 

Emily signalled Entrapta to the entrance of a room, where the lavender princess gave her another grateful pat. She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Her fingers lightly skimmed her toolbelt, “Oh! I forgot something from the other room.” She extended her pigtails out, grabbing hold of the vent above her, before slipping away. 

She fastened the cover back on as something strong, yet soft nudged her from behind. 

“Entrapta???”

…

Glimmer knew something was wrong when Swiftwind flew in screaming, eyes manic and wild. He looked disheveled, mane ruffled with legs and wings flailing around. 

She almost cried out, but resisted. It was unfair to assume so quickly, right? Maybe it was just a badly timed mess of coincidence.   
“What’s wrong?” Glimmer demanded, though not wanting an answer. Although dramatic, Swiftwind never acted like so -- his flair was always more charming than attention-seeking. 

“Something...something happened with Adora,” the rainbow-colored unicorn panted, completely exhausted from the trip. 

Glimmer’s stomach dropped. She knew it, she knew it yet she had never been so frightened. Fear grabbed her with brute force, thrusting her into a spiral of panic. “No,” she could barely detect her own voice, “No...NO NO NO NO NO!”

She would’ve collapsed on the floor had there not been someone watching. Instead, she stiffened, her body freezing and her mind trapped in time. This had to be a dream. How would Bow react? What would happen to the rebellion? No, they were so close she could feel it. They’d rescue Perfuma, and then maybe it would’ve just been a scare. But by the look on Swiftwind’s face, she doubted it more and more. 

Adora wasn’t responding, her communicator was silent. 

But it couldn’t be true. She felt tears tumble down her cheeks, the biggest sign of failure, and her cheeks burned red. _It’s not over yet,_ she thought bitterly, but knew it wasn’t true. It couldn’t possibly be true. She yearned to give up, to break something, to hide and wallow in a hole of misery. 

The staff beside her bed, however, instructed otherwise, stealing her attention. Right, you couldn’t exactly give in when the responsibility of all of Bright Moon weighed down your shoulders. She had to return to her post as commander, maybe go back to the life they lived before the rebellion. It hurt to consider, but the possibilities were high. 

She grunted, slamming the glistening staff down. Why did she have to put all her trust in She-Ra? The sword always seemed to do right, so maybe this was simply a minor setback. Hopefully. 

…

“What do you want from me?” Catra grumbled, her voice dry and tired. She cautiously lifted up the sword, the light catching in the crystal base. She held it before once, threatening it against Adora, but now it was oddly heavier. No shocks, no screeching. What was so special about the weapon, anyway? 

Of course she knew the answer to that. Not every sword could transform someone into an 8-foot-tall princess, and not every sword could persuade said person to leave their home for a couple of dainty little sparkle dancers. She scoffed, repulsed, but couldn’t let it go. 

Was it...was it glowing?

She hadn’t noticed the light that surrounded it before. It always seemed to sparkle and radiate light no matter what, even when Adora died. A sudden blur of guilt filled her chest, as she could feel her legs turn to jelly. Catra didn’t feel compelled to proclaim her victory, besides, all the other princesses were still out there. Even though they were rather helpless without Adora, and their win was practically secured, it still wasn’t official. 

Or possibly she was just telling herself that. 

Either way, she knew it was wiser to hide the sword from the Horde, who knew what Hordak would do to it. Maybe she was being selfish, but why did it matter, anyway? She just needed time to decide what to do or what the sword was trying to do. It pulsed and vibrated with such ferocity that she nearly dropped it again. Now the little hope for Adora she had vanished.

…

“Huh-”

Bow quickly clasped his hand over Entrapta’s mouth. She was alive! He knew it was negative, but he expected her to be in a less pleasant situation. 

Mermista eyed her suspiciously. Bow wasn’t quite sure if they had caught her or she caught them, it was quite a paradox. Entrapta was always sweet and smart, he doubted that she really approved of everything evil the Horde stood for. It was impossible to think of, yet here she was, looking...content. A second passed where all he felt was pure horror in his stomach. 

Were they enemies?   
He recalled the various memorials the rebellion planned for Entrapta when they assumed she had passed. Flowers, mourning, and the bare anxiety of telling her people. No, no one would ever feel so much remorse and sadness in their enemy’s funeral. 

But her existence right then and there proved otherwise. Why? What did she see in the Horde? 

Before Bow could spiral into a crisis, Mermista elbowed him lightly. She signalled them forward and jerked her head sideways, probably trying the unreadable hand language she invented. She cocked an eyebrow at her, yelling back, _I don’t know what in Etheria you’re saying!_

…

 _What is she doing here?_ Mermista angrily pointed at Entrapta, then back to Bow, _Move! Hurry, before someone finds us! Ughhhh._  
One minor inconvenience risked throwing off their entire mission, and that was Entrapta. Mermista didn’t especially favor the “geeky princess,” as she referred to her, when they cooperated, but she couldn’t feign the betrayal she endured the day Catra exposed Entrapta as a new member of the Horde. Geeky princess never struck her as inherently evil, unlike the spikey cat lady, but she wasn’t a hundred-percent into trusting her, either. 

Entrapta just sat there, eyes wide in bewilderment. “Shhh,” was all Bow said. Mermista hoped it would be enough. Did Entrapta know Perfuma was being held captive? Did Entrapta even care was the bigger, more prominent question. 

If they were unlucky, she’d have to convince Bow to shoot her with one of his tranquilizer-arrow-things. 

“Oh! You guys,” the purple-haired princess suddenly chimed. Mermista shot her an annoyed look, and she quickly lowered her voice, “Why’re you here? Oooh, I have so many things to show you! Have you met Emily yet? She’s a robot I made, and she has a few features in development, but she’s really friendly I swear-”

“Entrapta,” Bow started, “are they keeping you...prisoner?”

Dumb question. They already knew the answer to that, she had chosen her side. 

Entrapta remained unfazed, “Oh! No, it’s so amazing! You should see all the tools they have. So much tech! Hordak and Catra let me make whatever I want, and they keep bringing me new blueprints and challenges. It’s so exciting, you should see! I could show you.”

Mermista tensed, she had an idea. “Do you know where they keep the prisoners?”

…

Glimmer had been panicking for what felt like forever. Swiftwind claimed that something was seriously wrong, Adora may be beyond injured. She felt her stomach tighten into knots whenever she gazed over at the receiver. What would she tell Bow? She couldn’t possibly contact him, what if he blamed her?

It couldn’t get worse. 

Until a guard tapped on her door lightly, “Your Majesty, Shadow Weaver has disappeared from her cell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sjfjwjeffefj this is so long im sorry   
> i have an ending planned tho yayyyy

**Author's Note:**

> hAH this is terrible pls. Based on a dream I had where Adora died -- so this is now writing practice. You know what they say, "Make your dreams come true."


End file.
